1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to polyphonic pitch controllers which when used in conjunction with electronic signal synthesizers, especially as employed in musical applications, is capable of controlling the pitch, amplitude and tone of a multiplicity of independently voiced notes in real time. Note timbre is essentially a function of the synthesizer programming, while note amplitude--attack, sustain and decay--an tone are controlled in a known fashion by piano-like keys fitted with velocity and pressure sensing transducers. The most significant feature of this invention is its pitch controlling ability through which an infinite variety of harmonic and contrapunctal voice movements can be realized. The Constantly Changing Polyphonic Pitch Controller, as it is taught herein, produces no musical sound of its own; rather, it works together with its operator and computer firmware to produce polyphonic pitch, amplitude and tone control signals as electrical input intelligible to a note synthesizer.
2. Description of Prior Art
The development of the microprocessor has singularly transformed the nature and manner of musical performances. The modern synthesizer, a product of this transformation, employs various techniques-phase distortion, frequency modulation, signal sampling, additive and subtractive processing and the like--to create electronically sounds which previously could only have been produced mechanically. Synthesizers can now create the exact sound qualities, or timbres, of almost every known musical instrument. Virtuousity, as difficult to acquire as it is for any particular instrument, increasingly is becoming worsted by the effortless imitations which keyboard controlled synthesizers now produce.
In addition to ease of performance, synthesizers have other advantages over conventional acoustical instruments which will likely add to their increasing prominence in the music industry. The synthesizer can often be less expensive, less temperamental, and less cumbersome than its acoustical counterpart. Furthermore, one synthesizer can, through re-programming, synthesize notes of any number of musical instruments. Thus, the musical instrument family, as we have long known it, may now be moribund; its successor will likely be the single synthesizer connected, interchangeablely, to one of several new pitch/amplitude/tone controllers.
Several types of pitch controllers are known. However, most controllers, such as the wheel, joy stick, ribbon, breath and foot pedal controller, are inherently monophonic in nature and, therefore, have only limited use in a polyphonic environment. See, e.g., Adachi U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,647. Only three general types of polyphonic controllers currently exist: the simple keyboard controller; the digital guitar, See Polson U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,734, and see generally Guitar Player, June, 1986 (special issue on guitar synthesiziers); and various hybrids of the guitar and keyboard. Gasser for instance U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,166, Norman U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,979, Evangelista U.S. Pat. No. Re. 31, 019, and Fox U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,521 all disclose electronic controllers consisting of guitar-like necks and bodies incorporating features such as tough pads, strings, psuedo-strings and key controllers. Sugiyama U.S. Pat. No. 4,078,464, teaches a guitar-like neck over which a shifting keyboard slides and rotates so as to control signal pitch, tone and amplitude. These prior patents have described instruments comprised of both controllers and synthesizers, whereas the present invention teaches a new independent controller. With the recent advent of the standardized protocol, Musical Instrument Digital Interface ("MIDI"), controllers can now freely interchange and interface with any synthesizing equipment. However, this synthesizing equipment offers much more potential for musical expression than controllers can currently exploit. Correspondingly, there exists a need for further polyphonic pitch controllers capable of forming and manipulating new harmonic, rythmic and contrapunctal idioms in real time. The present invention is specifically directed to this purpose.